My Favorite Things
by Ashton09
Summary: Nothing is ever simple with the Bellas, and you'd think Beca would have learned that by now. Even if there was no way she could have called this one.
"What the hell? Who ate the last of the Doritos?!"

It would be funny, the way heads snap around to look between Amy and Beca when Chloe yells from the kitchen, but Beca's a little insulted that the Bellas would believe she'd do that to her girlfriend. After all, it was only the one time, and in her defense she hadn't known they were Chloe's at the time.

"Dudes, it wasn't me" she tries when the stares eventually settle on her, trying for indignant yet believable. "Seriously, you think I'd forget?" she asks when it doesn't seem to work, pointing out what seems obvious to her.

And this time it seems to convince them, because her friends are slowly turning to look at Amy, who shakes her head almost violently at the silent accusation. "No way would I risk Chloe's wrath after watching Beca act like a wounded puppy for three days. Crocs have nothing on Ginger."

Any further arguments or accusations are silenced when Chloe appears in the doorway, glaring at each woman in the room as if she blames them all regardless of who actually did it. "How am I supposed to enjoy movie night if there are no Doritos?" she snaps after a long minute of studying the assembled Bellas.

Beca almost thinks the situation should be humorous, watching Chloe get so upset at something as seemingly trivial as junk food, but despite how illogical it seems she knows her girlfriend isn't joking. She has to have Doritos and her favorite cherry Pepsi (from a can-not a bottle) or her whole night will be off, keeping her from relaxing. And with finals coming up and Chloe determined to graduate with Beca this year, not to mention Worlds, an evening of relaxation is exactly what she needs.

"Babe, it's only like 4, we can run to the store really quick and stock up without hurting anything" Beca says when it becomes obvious no one else is going to speak up, hoping her status as girlfriend is enough to warrant the bravery. Especially when she's innocent this time and the last time had been two years ago.

"That's a good idea, I ran out of gummy bears last week, we can grab some of those too" Stacie adds when Chloe doesn't take the suggestion badly, and suddenly they're planning a full snack run and movie marathon. And if Beca wasn't so glad to see Chloe smiling and laughing as they tease Stacie for using the last of her gummy bears for vodka bears, she'd be protesting every movie that gets added to the list, knowing that as Captain (and Chloe's girlfriend) she's required to sit through the whole night. Usually it's not too bad, she can get through a movie or two with only mild boredom thanks to the antics of her friends, but the current list is at 5 movies and Beca doesn't know how anyone could have enough energy for that many movies in one night.

It takes a few minutes before they figure out who is going along on the trip and who is staying behind to set up the living room, and Beca is secretly glad to see Amy cheerfully grabbing blankets from the closet with Jessica as Cynthia Rose and Ashley run upstairs to grab pillows from everyone's beds and the giant beanbag chair from Stacie's room. Amy is a good friend, but as much as she likes hanging out with the woman, snack runs with her along rarely run smoothly, or inconspicuously. And as much as Beca has had to get used to being the center of attention since joining the Bellas, sometimes she just wants a quick shopping trip to be a quick shopping trip.

Or as quick as it can be when four Bellas tag along Beca realizes with a sigh as she counts the women climbing into Chloe's SUV. Why they need five people to grab snacks is beyond her, but at this point it's whatever. She can't exactly ask Emily to stay behind just because she thinks it's a little ridiculous to shop in groups. Especially not so soon after the freshman started to really feel like a part of the group.

"Let's just stop at the gas station so we can hurry" Chloe says as they climb into the car, staring at the sky with a vaguely worried look as she takes in the dark clouds above them. "I want to get back before this storm hits."

Beca notices her girlfriend sounds more nervous than she can ever remember the redhead being, and after years of learning Chloe's tells realizes that the incoming storm has her more worried than she'd like the rest of the girls to think. She's not sure why though, other than a general discomfort and love of cuddling during storms that predates their relationship, she hasn't noticed anything. And for anyone else, that wouldn't mean much. As much as she's grown, as much as she loves the Bellas, she still isn't great at realizing when something is up with them. She's happy to help when they bring her issues, but she's very rarely the one to realize help is needed in the first place.

But she knows Chloe, knows the way her brow furrows and lips twist, knows the hesitation in her eyes and movements as she pulls onto the road. She hasn't seen the tells since Chloe found out she'd broken up with Jesse halfway through sophomore year, but she remembers them well. Remembers everything about those days, from the way the hurt had faded quickly enough to surprise her, to the way Chloe had been careful to keep her distance through it while still trying to be there for Beca and the awkward fumbling that had resulted, to the way Chloe had smiled after Beca kissed her one night a few weeks after the breakup.

As much as Beca would love to sit and just remember that smile and every one that had followed, the continuing sense of anxiety that clings to Chloe is a lot more pressing, and Beca can't help but respond. Her hand finds Chloe's and squeezes gently, not wanting to make a big deal out of the redhead's nerves after the way she's been hiding them from the three women in the backseat, but wanting her to know that Beca is there for her even without knowing exactly what's going on.

It seems to help, and Chloe relaxes her grip on the steering wheel as she joins in on the jokes coming from behind them as she heads off campus towards the only gas station that has both Stacie's candy and Beca's drink, the one they go to so often that the cashiers have mostly stopped staring at them when they come in. Mostly. Except when Stacie comments loudly about one of her latest conquests, or Flo mentions something about her life before Barden, or Amy disparages their snack selection in loud and confusing Australian terms that Beca isn't 100% sure she didn't make up on the spot. So okay, maybe they only stare half of the time now. But that's still an improvement, so Beca will take it.

The cashier tonight is new though, and Beca finds herself hoping they can get through the trip quickly and without incident, because he looks young enough to be permanently scarred if Stacie or Flo really get going. Her warning look seems to work, though she has no idea whether they understand she's talking about the worker or if they think she's warning against stressing Chloe again. Which really, either works if they both get the same result, so Beca doesn't really care much either way. She just wants the five of them to gather the necessary food for the upcoming movie ordeal so they can get back to the house and get it over with.

Of course, as soon as they finish gathering the snacks (an accomplishment that only takes a record 15 minutes as Stacie debated between gummy bears and worms and Flo quietly comments on each brand they didn't have in her home country) the threatened storm breaks, announcing its arrival with one of the loudest crashes of thunder Beca thinks she's ever heard. It's powerful enough that the power flickers, and the next thing she knows Chloe is no longer by her side laughing at Emily's wide eyed look as she watches Stacie seriously consider the merits of each gummy snack as if she's discussing nuclear fusion, in fact the redhead is suddenly nowhere to be found when Beca turns to look, wondering where her girlfriend went and how she disappeared so quickly.

"Chlo?" she calls hesitantly as she walks down the aisle towards the corner of the store, totally confused as to what just happened. But as quickly as the confusion had appeared it's pushed to the back of Beca's mind when she sees Chloe on the floor in the corner of the store, knees drawn up to her chest as she buries her face in her arms, visibly flinching with every rumble of thunder outside. "Baby, what's wrong?" Beca tries when it becomes obvious Chloe doesn't realize she's kneeling next to her, hoping she won't make things worse when she reaches out to rest a comforting hand on her girlfriend's shaking shoulder.

She isn't prepared for Chloe to practically launch herself into her arms, but somehow manages to catch them both before hitting the floor, struggling to get situated and resolutely pushing the thought of how gross it is to be sitting on a gas station floor away because it's obvious Chloe needs her.

"I don't like storms" Chloe eventually whispers into Beca's shoulder where she's still hiding, and Beca can feel herself melt at the vulnerability in Chloe's voice. And maybe it's not the best time, because the redhead is clearly terrified in a way Beca has never seen, but she can't help thinking it's adorable even as she rubs small circles on Chloe's back, trying to ground her girlfriend with the physical sensation.

"Hey, are you two all right?" she hears after a few minutes of comforting Chloe, looking up to see Emily staring down at them in concern. "Stacie was looking for you, she was afraid you'd left us or something." The blush on Emily's face is enough to tell Beca what Stacie meant by 'or something' and she can't stop the sigh that escapes, hoping she was at least far enough away from the boy up front to keep the awkward looks to a minimum when they finally leave. With her luck though, probably not.

"Chloe doesn't like storms" is all she says despite her sigh, not wanting to take it out on the newest Bella when it's definitely not her fault. "How hard is it raining out there?" She can tell Chloe will be in no shape to drive any time soon, but if it's not too bad then she might be able to get the redhead into the car and home if she drives.

"It's pouring" comes the quick response, dashing Beca's hopes. "Like it's really coming down, you can barely see the street from here. It's like a waterfall, but if a waterfall also had lightning" she continues until Beca has to glare at her, the descriptions doing nothing to help calm Chloe down. She feels bad when Emily winces and immediately stops talking, but making sure Chloe is okay absolutely comes first. She'll make it up to the younger woman later somehow.

"Will you tell Stacie and Flo we'll be a bit, maybe see if Stacie has a weather app on her phone to see how long this is going to last?" she asks when it's clear Emily isn't going to start talking about how loud the thunder is again, and knowing that after 'screwing up' she'll make sure to warn the others to avoid talking about the storm at the same time. The last thing Chloe needs right now is some story from Flo about horrible things happening during horrible storms, and Beca just knows she has one.

"Hey, you okay?" Beca whispers quietly into Chloe's hair once Emily walks off, hoping she can draw Chloe out of her nerves a bit. Seeing the usually outgoing redhead so withdrawn is jarring, as if everything has shifted two inches to the right, or grown three inches taller, making her feel even smaller and more insignificant. It's uncomfortable, because Chloe has always been the one person who makes her feel like she's worth something, like she matters, like she can accomplish what she sets her mind to. Being unable to help Chloe is just wrong, because she'd decided years ago that she would do whatever she had to do to keep the redhead happy and smiling. And until now, she's done pretty well. They've had their bumps, but Beca's been happier than she can ever remember being before, and Chloe constantly tells her she feels the same. So storm or no storm, Beca isn't about to ruin the streak and let Chloe down now.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Chloe says, obviously trying to convince herself as well as Beca. The way she's still curled tightly into her girlfriend's side makes it obvious she isn't fine at all. "Just, you know, the thunder took me by surprise. I really don't like storms. And it felt safer back here."

It takes a minute for Beca to realize what Chloe means, because yes they're in the corner of an aisle, but it's still an open space and there's nothing particularly secure about it that Beca can see. Then she realizes it's more about what can't be seen, and understands why Chloe immediately sought this location out. With the way they're curled up on the ground the windows are out of sight, meaning Chloe doesn't have to deal with seeing the rain come down or the lightning flash, and with her head buried in the crook of Beca's neck, she doesn't even see the reflected flashes of light that shine brighter than the bulbs above them. All that's left is the thunder, but maybe Beca can help with that too.

She doesn't let herself think about what she's doing, knowing that if she does she won't be able to continue. But personal discomfort is irrelevant at the moment, and if a little embarrassment can help calm her girlfriend, then it's well worth it. So despite the twinge of self-consciousness that settles low in her stomach, Beca closes her eyes and starts softly singing 'My Favorite Things' to Chloe, not letting up on the physical comforting but hoping that having her voice to focus on will help drown out the thunder.

She doesn't expect to hear their friends join in on the second verse, Flo providing simple background harmony rather than joining in with the lyrics, and Beca spares a second to wonder if her friend has seen the movie before refocusing on Chloe, singing it again when it seems to help, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. The others just go with it, by now even Emily knows their styles well enough to match harmonies with almost no effort. There are gaps in the sound where the rest of the Bellas would normally slide in, but it's not like they're actually performing, and even the relatively simple arrangement they've got going on sounds amazing.

Chloe joins in on their fifth time singing, her voice quieter than the others at first, but Beca knows that they've managed to help. It's a scene she'd never have pictured in a million years, five women sitting on the floor of a gas station singing together to help keep one of them calm, but somehow she can't bring herself to be surprised. This is her life now, her life with these friends, with the woman she loves. Music is their common ground, music and the genuine emotion that exists between them all, and somehow no matter the situation music seems to fit.

It takes another few times through the song before Chloe can look up without flinching, and by then the lighting and thunder have slacked off, leaving just the rain behind. That seems to help almost as much as their singing has, and when Chloe manages a genuine smile, Beca decides this can be their last repeat of the song and fades out into silence when she reaches the end, the others following her lead without the need to signal. They sit in silence for a moment as Chloe snuggles into Beca's side, no longer clinging for security, just enjoying being close. And just like always happens, even if they really should be used to it by now, the others exchange knowing smirks and smiles when Beca smiles down at Chloe, pulling her closer without even an attempt to pretend at a badass demeanor.

"You okay to head back if I drive?" Beca asks after a moment, not wanting to make a big deal out of the fact they've been sitting on a gas station floor, but starting to feel uncomfortably aware of how dirty it has to be. Even if it looks clean, there have to be germs everywhere, and Beca is really starting to want a shower.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Chloe says again, and this time Beca believes her. "Thank you" she adds before leaning up for a quick kiss, smiling softly when she pulls back. "Now let's get these snacks paid for so we can have this movie night."

Beca mock groans at that before levering herself up, reaching down to help Chloe stand before pulling her into a slightly deeper kiss. She's careful to keep it appropriate for their surroundings, but wants to make sure Chloe knows that she can lean on her if she needs. That Beca, well maybe not that she understands just yet, but that she doesn't need to understand in order to be there for her. That she'll work to understand.

For anyone but Chloe and with anyone but Beca, that would probably be too complicated to convey through kiss, but the older woman has always been able to tell what Beca is thinking even when she can't put it into words. At first it had been overwhelming, Beca being totally unused to someone getting that close to her. To someone taking the time to understand her. Now she's just grateful that she can tell Chloe without stumbling to find words in front of their friends.

"I love you too" Chloe says when Beca pulls away, and yeah, Chloe can definitely tell what Beca's feeling even when she says nothing. "Now let's get out of here before the storm gets worse again."

"It looks like we're actually good for a while, don't worry" Stacie says from next to them, looking down at her phone with a smile tugging at her lips. Beca can tell from the smile that she'll be hearing about how totally not badass the kiss- and probably the impromptu concert- was, but for now it looks like Stacie is going to let her get away with it.

"Still" Chloe says with a small laugh that sounds only slightly forced, "let's just get out of here and get home." And no one can argue with Chloe anyway, but it's not like she's suggesting anything they object to this time and they all follow her willingly to finally check out.

"So, is the concert done?" the boy ringing them up says with a condescending smirk, and it takes a lot of effort from Beca to resist the urge to lay into him. Verbally or physically, she doesn't much care; she isn't going to let this asshole judge their actions. Not when it had been entirely for Chloe's comfort. But that same woman is the one who has urged restraint on Beca over the past few years, and eventually the lessons had stuck.

That doesn't mean she doesn't level her fiercest glare on him, noticing the four others joining her. Even Emily is trying, though there's absolutely no bite to her look and it's almost enough to make Beca laugh and ruin the moment. Because the looks from the rest of them more than make up for it, and the idiot teenager in front of them is actually shrinking back from them, and laughing at Emily would totally ruin the intimidation thing they've got going on.

"Just ring us up, dude" Beca says to keep the glare going, waving slightly to keep Flo and Stacie from jumping in with support. Even if he is being a little shit, she'll grudgingly admit he doesn't need five (four if you assume Emily doesn't count) Bellas jumping on his ass. Hopefully he's already learned his lesson, and they really don't need to end up banned from the store for employee harassment.

Thankfully they listen to her for once, and it's a quick and mostly painless end to the trip as they run through the rain to get back to the car. The rain really has lightened up, and though there's still an occasional growl of thunder in the distance, it's quiet enough that Chloe only tenses slightly each time she hears it, and Beca thinks that just talking will be enough to distract her.

"How did I not know you hated storms?" Beca asks before thinking about it, wishing she could smack herself without the women in the backseat commenting on it. Distracting Chloe was a great plan. Bringing up the thing she's trying to distract her from? Lousy execution.

"We've never really been out in one" Chloe says with a shrug, seemingly okay with the topic of conversation, though she does reach for Beca's hand. "Being home and being out are different, and at home I can usually drown it out." The look she sends Beca tells the brunette everything she needs to know about the rest of that statement, that the cuddling during storms she'd remembered earlier had been a coping mechanism, that Beca's presence had been enough to help. And that Chloe knows Beca wouldn't want to make a big deal out of that, not with an audience. Not that she's ashamed of that fact, but even after four years with the Bellas, Beca still likes to keep her emotions and sensitivities to herself.

"I think the bigger question here is how does someone who hates movies know every word to one of the greatest songs to ever come out of one?" Stacie chimes in from the back seat. And if it was just Stacie asking, or if Chloe wasn't in the car, Beca would probably shrug it off as being a song that everyone knows. It's just part of being human, and a musician at that, right?

But no, Chloe is looking at her with curiosity in her eyes, ready to study each one of Beca's reactions as she responds. And while Beca could totally fool the rest of the Bellas (or at least stick to her denials long enough that they give up), she'll never be able to fool Chloe. And Chloe will never give up, because she knows that Beca will always cave.

So with a purely internal sigh and attempt to keep completely nonchalant, Beca gives in without a fight. "Julie Andrews is like, the one saving grace of any movie she's in" comes the admission, hoping her off-hand delivery will keep it from turning into a big deal.

She should have known better, really.

The shock of Beca Mitchell willingly admitting to enjoying any movie, let alone more than one, is apparently earth shattering news, because suddenly the car is full of loud exclamations and belted lyrics that have Beca wincing as she tries to focus on the road until it dies down. It figures she wouldn't be able to get out of this that easily.

"Baby, how did I not know you liked her movies?" Chloe asks once the others have quieted down enough that she can be heard.

"It kind of never came up?" Beca tries, still clinging to her air of indifference as she tries to shrug it off. "You guys usually pick those romantic comedies that get boring like five minutes in and have totally forgettable actors trying to squeeze human emotions out of overdone lines." And maybe that one wasn't totally fair, because that's Beca's plot description of every movie they'd decided to watch tonight, but she's off balance from actually admitting what to her is almost a guilty pleasure.

The look on Chloe's face when she glances over for a second sends a chill down Beca's spine, because she knows what it means. Chloe has an idea, an entire plan, and an intense level of determination to pull it off. And Beca probably isn't going to like it.

She almost thinks she's saved when they pull up to the Bella house before Chloe can share, but the first words out of anyone's mouth when they walk in quickly dash that hope. "Change of movie plans" Chloe says with a wicked grin, wrapping her free arm around Beca's shoulder as she carries the bags of snacks into the living room. "We finally found not one, not two, but multiple movies that Beca enjoys, so after years of her sitting through ours, we're going to watch all of hers."

The confused looks from the Bellas that hadn't gone with them are almost amusing, but they fade quickly when Stacie and Flo start explaining with help from Emily, leaving Beca to turn to Chloe. "You mean like one or two, right Chlo? It's already almost 5, and she's in a ton of movies. There's no way we _could_ watch them all tonight."

"Oh, we're not watching them all" Chloe says with a smile that Beca doesn't quite trust. "I only have the box set of her classics, and Jessica has most of her newer ones, but we don't have them all. Only ten or so."

"Ten movies?! Chloe!" Beca might know she's lost the fight, might know there's no fight to even be had, but she can't help exclaiming at that. Because she knows Chloe will stick to it, will down entire pots of coffee to stay awake and keep Beca watching if that's what she decides she wants. And yes Beca can actually enjoy a Julie Andrews movie on occasion, but that doesn't mean she enjoys watching them all at once.

"Oh relax" Chloe say with a laugh, smirking down at Beca as the rest of their friends join in. "I'm just kidding. We'll pick a few for tonight and save the rest for next time." And that might not be much better, but Beca knows better than to argue after getting a reprieve, as much as she'd like to.

And really, it isn't as bad as she'd expected, because Chloe snuggles into her side so closely for the entirety of the marathon that they almost seem like one person. And Beca knows it's probably a delayed reaction to the storm earlier, but she's not complaining. Because she makes Chloe feel safe, and Chloe makes her feel complete.

And that's worth a movie marathon any day.

* * *

I think I've mentioned before, though not recently, but I am looking for a beta! I hate rereading things I've written immediately after finishing because I usually end up disliking it all, and without a beta I usually just end up posting and hoping for the best, then fixing the worst offences after I catch them later. Which is obviously not the ideal way to go about things, so if anyone out there feels like helping, hit me up at always-atyour-side over on tumblr so we can talk about it. I'm also hoping for a person or two that I can discuss plot ideas with, sort of bounce ideas off of when I get stuck or don't know if I want to write something.


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